Lizbeth Ovalle is expected to join the Orlando Pride from Mexico’s Tigres UANL on a record transfer fee of $1.5m (£1.1m), a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The deal is expected to be completed by the National Women’s Soccer League’s transfer deadline on Monday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agreement had not yet been formally signed.
The transfer fee surpasses the $1.3m (£1m) fee Arsenal paid Liverpool for Canadian striker Olivia Smith in the English Women’s Super League last month. That broke the previous record fee of $1.1m that Chelsea paid the San Diego Wave for defender Naomi Girma in January.
Ovalle, a 25-year-old winger, has led the Tigres of Liga MX Femenil to six titles since joining the club in 2017. She is the team’s all-time leading scorer with 136 goals.
She’s also made 58 appearances for the Mexican national team with 20 goals. She turned heads in the US last year, scoring a well-placed chip to put Mexico ahead of the US in the W Gold Cup.
Nicknamed La Maga (The Magician), Ovalle went viral on social media this year with a so-called “scorpion kick” goal, facing away from the net, in a Tigres match against Guadalajara.
